2014 NBA Playoff Bracket: Schedule and 1st-Round Predictions

The NBA regular season is a grind, a marathon, a collection of games that have really only one purpose—separate the playoff teams from the non-playoff teams. Once the playoffs begin, well, that's when the real fun gets going.

And, as always, there are some classic matchups to watch for. Here's how the playoff picture shook out:

NBA 1st-Round Schedule

Date

Matchup

Time (ET)

TV

4/20

(8) Mavericks vs. (1) Spurs

12 p.m.

TNT

4/23

(8) Mavericks vs. (1) Spurs

7 p.m.

NBATV

4/26

(1) Spurs vs. (8) Mavericks

3:30 p.m.

TNT

4/28

(1) Spurs vs. (8) Mavericks

8:30 p.m.

TNT

4/30

(8) Mavericks vs. (1) Spurs

TBD

TBD

5/2

(1) Spurs vs. (8) Mavericks

TBD

TBD

5/4

(8) Mavericks vs. (1) Spurs

TBD

TBD

Date

Matchup

Time (ET)

TV

4/19

(7) Grizzlies vs. (2) Thunder

9:30 p.m,

ESPN

4/21

(7) Grizzlies vs. (2) Thunder

8 p.m.

TNT

4/24

(2) Thunder vs. Grizzlies

8 p.m.

TNT

4/26

(2) Thunder vs. Grizzlies

9:30 p.m.

ESPN

4/29

(7) Grizzlies vs. (2) Thunder

TBD

TBD

5/1

(2) Thunder vs. Grizzlies

TBD

TBD

5/3

(7) Grizzlies vs. (2) Thunder

TBD

TNT

Date

Matchup

Time (ET)

TV

4/19

(6) Warriors vs. (3) Clippers

3:30 p.m.

ABC

4/21

(6) Warriors vs. (3) Clippers

10:30 p.m.

TNT

4/24

(3) Clippers vs. (6) Warriors

10:30 p.m.

TNT

4/27

(3) Clippers vs. (6) Warriors

3:30 p.m.

ABC

4/29

(6) Warriors vs. (3) Clippers

TBD

TBD

5/1

(3) Clippers vs. (6) Warriors

TBD

TBD

5/3

(6) Warriors vs. (3) Clippers

TBD

TNT

Date

Matchup

Time (ET)

TV

4/20

(5) Trail Blazers vs. (4) Rockets

9:30 p.m.

TNT

4/23

(5) Trail Blazers vs. (4) Rockets

9:30 p.m.

TNT

4/25

(4) Rockets vs. (5) Trail Blazers

10:30 p.m.

ESPN

4/27

(4) Rockets vs. (5) Trail Blazers

9:30 p.m.

TNT

4/30

(5) Trail Blazers vs. (4) Rockets

TBD

TBD

5/2

(4) Rockets vs. (5) Trail Blazers

TBD

TBD

5/4

(5) Trail Blazers vs. (4) Rockets

TBD

TBD

Date

Matchup

Time (ET)

TV

4/19

(8) Hawks vs. (1) Pacers

7 p.m.

ESPN

4/22

(8) Hawks vs. (1) Pacers

7 p.m.

TNT

4/24

(1) Pacers vs. (8) Hawks

7 p.m.

NBATV

4/26

(1) Pacers vs. (8) Hawks

2 p.m.

TNT

4/28

(8) Hawks vs. (1) Pacers

8 p.m.

NBATV

5/1

(1) Pacers vs. (8) Hawks

TBD

TBD

5/3

(8) Hawks vs. (1) Pacers

TBD

TNT

Date

Matchup

Time (ET)

TV

4/20

(7) Bobcats vs. (2) Heat

3:30 p.m.

ABC

4/23

(7) Bobcats vs. (2) Heat

7 p.m.

TNT

4/26

(2) Heat vs. (7) Bobcats

7 p.m.

ESPN

4/28

(2) Heat vs. (7) Bobcats

7 p.m.

TNT

4/30

(7) Bobcats vs. (2) Heat

TBD

TBD

5/2

(2) Heat vs. (7) Bobcats

TBD

TBD

5/4

(7) Bobcats vs. (2) Heat

TBD

ABC

Date

Matchup

Time (ET)

TV

4/19

(6) Nets vs. (3) Raptors

12:30 p.m.

ESPN

4/22

(6) Nets vs. (3) Raptors

8 p.m.

NBATV

4/25

(3) Raptors vs. (6) Nets

7 p.m.

ESPN 2

4/27

(3) Raptors vs. (6) Nets

7 p.m.

TNT

4/30

(6) Nets vs. (3) Raptors

TBD

TBD

5/2

(3) Raptors vs. (6) Nets

TBD

TBD

5/4

(6) Nets vs. (3) Raptors

TBD

TBD

Date

Matchup

Time (ET)

TV

4/20

(5) Wizards vs. (4) Bulls

7 p.m.

TNT

4/22

(5) Wizards vs. (4) Bulls

9:30 p.m.

TNT

4/25

(4) Bulls vs. (5) Wizards

8 p.m.

ESPN

4/27

(4) Bulls vs. (5) Wizards

1 p.m.

ABC

4/29

(5) Wizards vs. (4) Bulls

TBD

TBD

5/1

(4) Bulls vs. (5) Wizards

TBD

TBD

5/3

(5) Wizards vs. (4) Bulls

TBD

TBD

NBA.com

It's either a testament to the strength of the West or the failings of the East that the No. 8 seed out West, the Dallas Mavericks, would be the No. 3 seed in the East. Much like real estate, when it comes to the NBA playoffs, conference location, location, location is everything.

Below, you can find all of my series predictions, including a more in-depth look at a few teams.

NBA Playoffs 1st-Round Predictions

Matchup

Winner

Mavericks vs. Spurs

Spurs

Grizzlies vs. Thunder

Thunder

Clippers vs. Warriros

Clippers

Blazers vs. Rockets

Rockets

Pacers vs. Hawks

Pacers

Heat vs. Bobcats

Heat

Raptors vs. Nets

Nets

Wizards vs. Bulls

Bulls

The Pacers, Heat and Spurs Will Advance

It would be absolutely shocking if any of these teams dipped out of the playoffs in Round 1. The Pacers will be playing a Hawks team that has a losing record, the Heat will have a winnable series against the the Charlotte Bobcats and the Spurs have been the league's best team all season long.

No, the questions for these teams will be asked later in the playoffs. The main one for the Heat will be why they didn't try harder to earn the No. 1 seed down the stretch. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra (sort of) addressed that with Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald:

It was out of our control at some point, and those guys have put a lot of mileage, like I said.

Our schedule was fairly extreme down the stretch. I have never been a part of a group that have played that many games in that few of days down the stretch run. It’s not an excuse. We just want to make sure our guys are feeling right, that they’re sharp, that they’re feeling healthy and they have minor ailments that a couple days will do wonders for them.

Is Spoelstra adopting Gregg Popovich's "rest the starters when needed" philosophy? It's probably not quite so intense. But the Heat have reached the last three NBA Finals, winning two of them, so no team in the league has played as many games as Miami. It's hard to fault them for wanting to hit the postseason fresh, even with the top seed on the line.

That won't come into play until the conference finals, assuming the Pacers and the Heat both get there. Miami will cross that bridge when they get there apparently.

And yes, they'll get there.

Houston Rockets Will Knock Off the Portland Trailblazers in Six Games

This is a truly intriguing series, but it's hard to bet against the team with Dwight Howard and James Harden. It also helps that Houston has home-court advantage—they're 33-8 at home this year—and won the season series, three games to one.

The Rockets overall have a lot of matchup advantages. An example? It's regular season, so that comes with caveats, but Jeremy Lin has a plus-15.5 net efficiency in four games vs. Portland this year. Lin's supposed to be the weak spot. The Blazers can score a little bit on Houston (as most teams can) but can't stop them at all. Dwight Howard averaged 25.5 points per game vs. Portland, James Harden averaged over 30. This is a nightmare matchup for Portland, at least from the outside.

Anything can happen in the postseason, but there's every indication that Houston will be moving on.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers Will Advance

The Clippers likely wanted to avoid the No. 6 Golden State Warriors, but playing the Memphis Grizzlies is hardly a walk in the park, either. Still, it would be surprising to see either of these teams bow out in Round 1.

The Thunder have the league's likely MVP (Kevin Durant), one of the top guards in the league (Russell Westbrook) and will be a popular pick to advance out of the West. This is a well-rounded, dangerous team.

Meanwhile, the Clippers have the league's best point guard in Chris Paul, a very improved superstar in Blake Griffin and a whole lot of depth.

It's very hard to imagine either of these teams losing in Round 1. Both are too talented to exit early in this postseason, no matter the matchup.